Amusement apparatus



NOV. 22, 1938. 5 H s 2,137,976

AMUSEMENT APPARATUS Filed Oct. 29, I936 INVENTOR. HARRY STEPHEN HoPKms I BY )9 MAINS.

Patented Nov. 22, 1938 UNITED STATES eaten tries AMUSEMENT APPARATUS York, N. Y.

Application October 29, 1936, Serial No. 108,167

10 Claims.

This invention relates to amusement devices and especially to games of skill, and has for its principle object to provide atarget at which a player may throw a ball or other missile to test his skill and at the same time to vent his feelings upon some adverse condition or character which the target is adapted to represent. v

Another object of the invention is to provide an upright figure forming a target at which a ball or other missile is to be thrown and which, when struck, will cause the figure to fall into a box and the box to automatically close.

Another object of the invention is to provide the upright figure of a human being in front of an open coflin-like box and so balanced that when struck by a ball or other missile the figure will fall into the box and the box will close, simulating a coflin ready for burial.

Another object of the invention is to provide either hand operated or power operated means in an apparatus as already mentioned to return the figure again to normal upright position after it has been knocked down.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the class described in which the lighting effect upon the apparatus is automatically changed when the figure is struck and falls into the box, thus attracting attention to the apparatus and adding to the amusement of .30 the players.

Other objects of the invention and those relating particularly to the method of constructing and assembling the various parts will be apparent as the description of the invention proceeds.

5 The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one form of the complete apparatus with the figure in the upright position ready to be struck by a ball;

40 Fig. 2 is a sectional elevational view of the apparatus taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional side elevational View of the forward portion of the apparatus showing the figure being raised to its upright position;

45 Fig; 4 is a sectional front elevational view of the 55 Old man gloom, or any public enemy or other character or thing particularly despised. The figure is balanced in an upright position in front of a box representative of a coffin, and the arrangement is such that when the figure is struckby a ball, such as a baseball, or any other object suit- 5 able for'the purpose, the figure will fall into the box, whereupon the lid of the box will automatically close and raise a tombstone over the box.

Referring now more specifically to the drawing,

a figure i0, representing that of a man, is shown 10 rigidly mounted upon the inside of thefront end I! of a coffin-like box l2, the lid [3 of which supports at right angles thereto a wooden plate it, preferably in the shape of a tombstone with suitable insignia upon it. The front end I l is preferl5 ably hinged to the bottom l5 of the box by means of the hinges I6, so that it may swing forward, thus opening the end of the box. The lid is is preferably hinged to the side H by pin hinges l8, and the bottom, sides, and opposite end ofthebox 20 are also preferably put together by pin hinges, screws or bolts to facilitate ready assembling and disassembling of the box.

I preferably construct the figure ill of a body portion 19 which may include a plurality of v 25 braces 26 and 2|, extending from front to rear of the figure, the first about midway up of the body portion and the second near the bottom thereof. In order to give thev figure rigid support upon the front end I l of the box l2, I may provide a pair of wooden uprights 22- and 23 for each leg which extend up into the body of the figure and the lower ends of which may be bolted by bolts 24 to two blocks 25 which may be rigidly fastened in spaced relation to the inner surface of the end H of the box, as indicated. The leg members 22 and 23 may also be bolted by bolts 2'6 to the upper cross brace 28, the forward uprights 22 being extended beyond the brace 29 to be bolted by bolt 21 to the lower end of the neck 28, which may be arranged to fit closely into the top of the body portion l9, as indicated at 29. Inasmuch as the head 30 of the figure is intended to be struck by i the ball, I'prefer to construct it of wood or other hard material, and to make it integral with the v neck. Any desired clothing maybe provided for the figure, as for instance, the pants 3!, the coat 32, the hat 33, and the shoes 34. These latter may be shells of papier-mach simulating shoes and placed around the blocks 25, or old shoes may be used which have been split down the center and part of the soles removed to fit around the blocks 25.

In order to insure the falling of the figure when 5 5 it is struck in the face with a ball, I prefer to balance it in the upright position so that the impact of a ball against the face will be sufficient to cause the figure to fall backward. To this end I mount the figure near the edge of the front end of the box and I provide a long weak spring 35 which I preferably attach to the rear end of the brace 2| while its other end is preferably anchored to the bottom l5 of the box at a point near the front end by means of the screw eye or hook 36. When the figure is in the reclining position the spring 35 is collapsed underneath the figure, but when the figure is raised the tension of the spring is just sufficient to balance the weight of the figure and the end of the box which forms the platform upon which it stands.

When the figure falls into the box it is desired to close the lid l3 and raise .the tombstone l4. To this end a strap 31 is preferably suspended between the side 38 of the box near its edge and the lid l3 near its edge in such a manner as to be struck by the shoulders of the figure as it falls into the box. As will be evident, the effect of this strap is to pull the lid down to cover the box when the figure strikes it. I also preferably provide along the top edge of the side 38 a plurality of resilient elements 39 to cushion the fall of the lid and prevent too loud slamming thereof. These elements may be made of springs or rubber, and may be set into holes in the edge.

In an amusement apparatus of this nature it may be desirable to stand at some little distance from the apparatus, as, for instance, about twenty-five feet, and to permit the operator to open the box and raise the figure from this position. For this purpose the apparatus may be operated by ropes which may run in a suitable guide box 46. I may provide two ropes 4| and 42 for this purpose, and the guide box maybe provided with two compartments or channels 43 and 44, one for each rope. The guide box may comprise a base board 45, two sides 46 and 41 and a cover board 48 wlL'ch may be hinged at one end to facilitate the insertion of the ropes. A partition 49 may be provided in the center to keep the ropes separate and prevent tangling. The rear end of the guide box may be secured to the bottom of the box |2 at approximately the center thereof, while the forward end may terminate at a board 50 provided with two pulleys 5| and 52 through which the ropes 4| and 42 pass. The forward ends of these ropes may have handles 4| and 4.2 attached to them by which the ropes maybe pulled. The corners of the box may be supported upon blocks 46' to raise it to the level of the top of the guide box 40.

The rope 4| may be used solely to pull the front end of the box forward to its .open position, thus raising the figure, and to this end a tackle may be used comprising two single pulleys 53 and 54 attached by means of screw eyes or hooks 55 and 56, to the bottom 45 within the compartment 43 and in spaced relation beneath the end H of the box, and a double pulley 51 attached to the outer edge of the end I by means' of the screw eye or hook 58. The rope 4| may pass under the pulley 53, up over one side of the double pulley 51, down under the pulley 54', up over the other side of the double pulley 51 and down to the bottom of the guide box again where it may besecured to the screw eye or hook 59.

The rope 42 may be used solely to raise the lid |3 of the box, and to this end the compartment 44 of the guide box may be extended at an angle from the front of the box l2 to a point at the side I! near the rear end of the box. At this point I may provide a post 66 which may be secured in an upright position to the side I! of the box and may be spaced slightly therefrom by a spacer 6| The post 60 may be high enough to come just below the top edge of the lid I3 when the lid is raised, and it may have a pulley 62 at the upper end and a pulley 63 at the lower end, the latter being set at an angle to receive the rope 42. The rope may pass through the pulley 63, up the post, through the pulley 62, to the lid, to which it may be attached by means of the screw eye or hook 64. When the rope 42 is pulled the lid I3 is raised, the weight of the tombstone plate M keeping it in the raised position.

In order to cushion the fall of the figure and prevent injury to it I preferably provide a cushion 65 within the box which may be of any suitable thickness and provided with springs or not, as desired. This cushion may be positioned towards the rear of the box so as to receive the head and shoulders of the figure.

In operation the apparatus is set up in a convenient location so that persons playing the game may stand about twenty-five feet from the figure. While the figure may be struck anywhere, Iprefer to have it fall into the box when struck in the face or head, and hence I may provide a net 66 which I may string up in front of the figure at such a height that unless the ball is aimed directly at the face it will not clear the net. I also preferably provide some means to hide the tombstone when the figure is in the upright position,

and a tree 61, either real or artificial, or any other article or piece of scenery, may be positioned at the side of the box in front of the tombstone, as indicated in the drawing of Fig. 1. I may also prefer to hide the tackle arrangement in the front of the box when the box is closed, and for this purpose another small artificial tree 68, or other object may be placed, as indicated in Fig. 3, upon the guide box 46 or near it, as desired.

With the figure in the upright position the players start to throw balls at the face. Those striking the net fall down and do nothing, but when one strikes the face or head the figure falls backward, pulled by the spring 35 as soon as it is overbalanced. As it falls into the box it strikes the strap 31 and pulls the lid of the box down to close the box, whereupon the tombstone affixed to the lid comesinto view to clearly indicate to the assembled players that the figure has been properly buried. By grasping the handles 4| and 42, one in each hand, the operator may then raise the lid and the figure to their upright positions and the apparatus is then ready for another player to try his skill.

In order to increase the effectiveness of the apparatus I may prefer to change the lighting simultaneously with the .closing of the box. As an illustration of one way which may be found successful for accomplishing this purpose, in Fig.

l I have shown a spotlight 6.9 which may be connected through a switch 10 to the electric lighting mains. The switch 76 may be positioned in such a manner that a lever protruding from the side thereof is engaged by the end 1| of the box when it is in its open position. When the lever is thus depressed by the end of the box the switch will be open and the light will not be lit. When, however, the figure is struck by a ball and falls into the box the lever 1| will be released and the switch closed, thus energizing the spotlight and directing light upon the box and especially illuminating the tombstone to attract attention thereto. The turning on and off of the light as the figure 'is struck by-a ball and raised again into striking position also aids in attracting the crowd to this particular game or amusement as it may be seen from a considerable distance.

In'the arrangement of Fig. l I have illustrated hand operated means for raising the figure to the upright position and opening the lid of the box. I may prefer, however, to use power operated means to accomplish this purpose. In Fig. 5 I have shown one form of such a means. The ropes 4! and 42 inthis modification are wound upon two drums 12 and 13 which may be mounted upon the shaft 14 of a motor 15 which may be mounted upon the platform 18, preferably attached to the end of the guide box 48. The motor I5 may be connected in series with switches 11 and 18 to the power mains indicated at 15. The switch 11 may have a lever 80 arranged to be depressed when the lid- H of the box 12 is in its open position. When so depressed the switch is open and the motor will not be energized. The second switch 18 may have a reverse action so that it remains open until manually closed. When the box is closed the switch 11 is in contact. Hence by manually depressing the switch 18 the motor will be energized and will start to rotate. As the drum I2 is made larger in diameter than the drum 13 it will wind the rope 4i faster than the rope 42 which will compensate for the difference in length of these ropes as taken up in the tackle arrangement at the rear end of the rope 4|. The box will open and the figure will be raised to the upright position, whereupon the end II will depress the lever 80, thus opening the circuit and turning off the motor. The operator will then remove his hand from the switch 18 and the motor can then not be started again until the box has been closed and the switch 18 again depressed.

From the above it will be seen that I have provided an amusement device which combines a game of skill with an opportunity to vent the players wrath upon some object or thing which characterizes some thing particularly obnoxious or distasteful to him. The apparatus is rather simple to construct and easy to assemble and lends itself particularly to portability for carnival use. The various features of the invention may be subject to considerable change without departing from the spirit thereof, and I do not therefore desire to limit myself to what has been shown and described except as such limitations are included in the appended claims.

What I desire to claim is:

1. An amusement device comprising a figure, means to maintain the figure in a state of balance in an upright position whereby it may be knocked out of balance when struck by a missile, means to receive said figure when it is so knocked out of balance, a cover for said receiving means, means independent of said figure to maintain said cover in an open position when said figure is in its raised position, and means to automatically release said last mentioned means so as to close said cover and conceal said figure from view after it has been received.

2. An amusement device comprising a target, means to maintain said target in a state of balance in an upright position whereby it may be tion and said target to its balanced upright position.

3. An amusement device comprising a coffinlike box, a figure, means to position said figure in a balanced upright posture in front of said box whereby it may be knocked over into said box when struck by a missile, means to automatically close the lid of said box when said figure falls into it, and means simulating a tombstone attached to said lid so as to stand in an upright position when said lid is closed.

4. An amusement device comprising a coffinlike box having a lid hinged on one side thereof, a figure, means to maintain said figure in a balanced upright position in front of said box whereby said figure will fall into said box when struck by a missile, means simulating a tombstone attached to said lid so as to stand in upright position when said lid is closed, means to automatically close said lid when said figure falls into said box, and means to open said box and raise said figure to balanced upright position.

5. An amusement device comprising a coflinlike box having a lid hinged on one side thereof, a figure, means to maintain said figure in a balanced upright position in front of said box whereby said figure will fall into said box when struck by a missile, means simulating a tombstone attached to said lid so as to stand in an upright position when said lid is closed and to hold said lid in its open position by its weight, means to automatically close said lid when said figure falls into said box, means to open said lid and raise said figure to its upright balanced position, and means to conceal said tombstone simu lating means when said lid is open.

6. An amusement device comprising a box, a cover for said box hinged to one side thereof, another side of said box being hinged to the bottom thereof and adapted to swing outwardly to approach the plane of said bottom, a figure mounted on said last mentioned side and adapted to stand upright when said side is opened out and to lie within the box when said side is in its proper position, means to maintain said figure in its upright position whereby it may be caused to fall into said box by a blow against it, and means whereby said lid is automatically closed when said figure falls into said box.

7. An amusement device comprising a box, a cover for said box hinged to one side thereof, another side of said box being hinged to the bottom thereof and adapted to swing outwardly to approach the plane of said bottom, a figure mounted on said last mentioned side and adapted to stand upright when said side is opened out and to lie within the box when said side is in its proper position, means to maintain said figure in its upright position whereby it may be caused to fall into said box by a blow against it, means whereby said lid is automatically closed when said figure falls into said box, and meansmpen said lid and raise said figure to its upright position.

8. An amusement device comprising a box, a

cover for said box hinged to one side thereof, a-n other sideof said box being hinged to the bottom thereof and adapted to swing outwardly toapproach the plane of'said bottom, afigure mounted on saidlast mentioned side and adapted to stand upright when said side is opened out and tolie within the box when said side is in its proper position, means to maintain said figure in its-upright position whereby it may be caused to fall intosaid box by a blow against it, meanswhereby said lid is automatically closed when said figure falls into said box, and a plate resembling a tombstone mounted upon said lid.

9. An amusement device comprising a. box, a cover for said box hinged to one side thereof, another side of said box being hinged to the bottom thereof and adapted to swing outwardly to approach the plane of said bottom, a figure mounted on said last mentioned side and adapted to stand upright when said side isopened out and to lie within the box when said side is in its proper position, means tomaintain said figure in its upright position whereby it may be caused to fall into said box by a blow against it, means whereby saidlid is automatically closed when said figure falls intosaid box, a plate resembling atombstone mounted upon said lid, and, means toconcealthe tombstone.-

10-. An amusement device comprising a box, a cover for said box hinged to one side thereof, another side of said box being hinged to the bottom thereof and adapted: to swing outwardly to approach the plane of said bottom, a figure mounted onsaid last mentioned side and adapted to stand upright when said side-is opened out and to lie within the box when said side is in its proper position, means to maintain said figure in its upright position whereby it may be caused to fall into said box by a blow against it, means whereby said lid is automatically closed when said figure falls into said box, a plate resembling a tombstone mounted upon said lid, means to conceal the tombstone, and meansto open said lid and raise said figure toits uprightposition.

HARRY STEPHEN HOPKINS. 

